Internal-combustion engines – Intake manifold – Manifold tuning – balancing or pressure regulating means
Reexamination Certificate
1999-12-23
2001-08-14
Kamen, Noah P. (Department: 3747)
Internal-combustion engines
Intake manifold
Manifold tuning, balancing or pressure regulating means
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273048
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The field of the present invention is that of intake manifolds for an internal combustion engine.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
For sometime, efforts have been made to increase the fuel economy of automotive vehicles. To achieve increased fuel economy, several technical trends have developed. One technical trend which has been utilized to increase fuel economy is to utilize smaller V-6 or inline 4 cylinder engines instead of V-8 engines. Still another technical trend to increase fuel economy is to make the vehicle lighter.
One example of how an automotive component can be made lighter is intake manifolds formed from plastics. These new manifolds can withstand high temperatures and can be injection molded or blow molded. Previously, many if not most of automotive intake manifolds were made from cast aluminum.
The majority of vehicles have at least two or three components which are vacuum actuated. Vacuum actuated components include vacuum assistant power brake boosters and other components such as cruise control or secondary manifold runner valves (typically utilized on some high performance vehicles). Additionally, other components are vacuum actuated such as many of the gate values actuators in the heating, ventilation and air conditioning system of the vehicle.
The suction action of an engine piston reciprocating in a cylinder of an internal combustion engine is typically how vacuum is generated. This vacuum capacity is relied upon in many applications in an automotive vehicle. The aforementioned trend from large V-8 engines with large displacement to smaller 4 or 6-cylinder engine much smaller displacements has decreased the potential generation of large amounts of vacuum. Vacuum capacity is especially diminished when a small displacement engine is operating at open throttle conditions. According, vacuum storage accumulators (commonly referred to as vacuum reservoirs) have been added to many vehicles to collect vacuum power when available for associated vacuum actuated components. A check valve is provided between the engine manifold and the vacuum reservoir to retain vacuum in the reservoir until needed. The check valve cuts off fluid connection between the vacuum reservoir in the manifold when the pressure level in the manifold increases due to operation under partial or open throttle conditions. Typically, a vacuum hose line is used to connect the manifold and the reservoir. Another vacuum hose line is required between the vacuum reservoir and the vacuum actuated component. Due to engine compartment crowding, the reservoir is often remotely located. Also, vacuum lines are often placed in vary inconvenient places and routes. Leaks in vacuum hoses can often be very hard to diagnose and very often lead to undesirable engine operation.
It would be highly desirable to consolidate the vacuum reservoir and vacuum producer. It would be highly desirable to minimize the vacuum hoses required to deliver vacuum to a vacuum reservoir. It would be highly desirable to eliminate the cost of the bracketing required for affixing a vacuum reservoir to the vehicle engine block or to car body.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an engine intake manifold is combined with a vacuum reservoir. The intake manifold typically has an inlet passage for receiving filtered ambient air thereto and a plenum space which is then connected to a plurality of branches or runner passages for conducting air flow to the various engine combustion chambers. A vacuum reservoir is integrally formed with the plenum and separated therefrom by an integral wall of the manifold. A passage is formed through the integral wall to allow withdrawal of air from the reservoir to the manifold interior for creating a vacuum condition therein. The vacuum reservoir has an outlet which acts to apply a vacuum effect to any of the vehicle's several vacuum operated components. Additionally, a check valve is provided between the manifold interior and the reservoir interior. The check valve allows a one-way flow of air from the vacuum reservoir to the manifold plenum but does not permit flow from the manifold into the reservoir. The check valve permits a flow of air from the reservoir into the manifold's plenum when the engine is operated in a closed or near closed throttle condition which generates vacuum in the intake manifold. The check value prevents air flow from the manifold's plenum back into the reservoir when the engine is operated in an open or mostly open throttle condition which does not generate vacuum in the intake manifold.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an integral manifold and vacuum reservoir for an automotive engine.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an automotive engine intake manifold assembly having an integral vacuum reservoir which assembly can be fabricated from a clam shell polymeric material which is then sonically welded together.
The above noted and other objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from a review of the invention as provided in the accompanying drawings and detailed description of a preferred embodiment.
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patent: 4497286 (1985-02-01), Masuda
patent: 4538556 (1985-09-01), Takeda
patent: 5027598 (1991-07-01), Meynier
patent: 5048469 (1991-09-01), Spray
patent: 5226400 (1993-07-01), Birch
patent: 5704325 (1998-01-01), Sattler et al.
patent: 0657201A3 (1995-06-01), None
patent: 2239048 (1991-06-01), None
Calcaterra Mark P.
DaimlerChrsler Corporation
Huynh Hai
Kamen Noah P.
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